A device and a procedure for regulating a multiple spark operation of a combustion engine of the type that is mentioned above are generally known. In order to ensure a secure ignition of a mixture of fuel and air in all operating points of the combustion engine further ignition sparks are created in the same ignition cycle in the sense of a multiple ignition with the aid of an ignition plug in some operating statuses, such as during a starting phase, by turning back on an ignition transformer immediately after one ignition spark dies. With the aid of a device a controlling of the multiple spark ignition takes place.
Further solutions are known, which improve the multiple spark operation—also called multiple spark mode. Thereby a primary inductance that is located in the primary current circuit of the transformer is reloaded already before igniting the ignition spark. Due to a still existing residual energy in the ignition transformer a recharging time of the primary inductance is significantly reduced. In this context it can be profited from an effect, at which a significant part of the ignition spark energy that is created by the transformer is transformed at the beginning of each ignition spark, thus if the ignition spark current is the highest, whereby it subsequently sinks almost linearly. By doing so several ignition sparks of short duration but comparably high energy can be created during an ignition cycle. The device provides thereby merely the total duration of the multiple spark operation, while a regulator electronic takes over a regulation of the multiple spark operation, thus a series of consecutive ignition sparks. The regulator electronic is usually located together with the ignition transformer in a common housing.
Typically firm threshold values are stored in the regulator electronic for a primary current and for a secondary current, at which the ignition transformer is turned off and back on. But there are several influencing factors, such as the composition of a fuel air mixture, ignition plug ageing and such alike, which complicate an optimal operation of the combustion engine at specified threshold values.